It has been quite a night for Brits in Hollywood. If Paul Revere were still alive and kicking, perhaps he would have hopped back on his horse to ride down the red carpet outside the Dolby Theatre in advance of the 85th Academy Awards to warn everyone, once again, that ”The British are coming!”

And a warning was, indeed, required. As one Brit after another stepped up to accept an Oscar (33 Brits were Oscar nominees this year), my American friends could not believe their eyes (or ears). As Jacqueline Durranmade her way towards the stage to collect her Oscar for Best Costume Design in Anna Karenina, ABC’s commentator remarked that Durran “grew up in the UK.” It was almost as if American viewers needed some warning that they were about to hear a speech in a funny accent. But the accents came thick, fast, and… Read more

My girlfriend, a documentary filmmaker, has been shortlisted for an Oscar. Announcements on the final nominations will be made this Tuesday. I am as nervous as a dog going to the vet.

The trepidation has reminded me of my own Hollywood awards ordeal. That was in 2005, when I was nominated for an Emmy, the world’s second most prestigious gong. I had produced the first season of Project Runway, a reality-competition show that pitted hot new designers against each other to unearth the new Donna Karan. When it came out, Runway was a surprise hit for our broadcaster, Bravo, breaking all its audience records, and spawning franchises in the UK (Project Catwalk) and throughout the world.

Project Runway host Heidi Klum with the author

We were up against the big guns of American TV: Jerry Bruckheimer for Amazing Race, Donald Trump for The Apprentice, Mark… Read more